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Dana Davis
Dana Davis (born October 4, 1978) is an American actress known for her roles as Chastity Church in the ABC Family television series 10 Things I Hate About You (2009–10), Carmen Phillips in the TNT series Franklin & Bash (2011-2013) and Michaela Pratt in the ABC legal drama series How to Get Away with Murder, for which she received NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nomination in 2015. Biography Davis was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa until the age of 14, when she moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she graduated from Martin Luther King High School. She is a skilled violinist and attended The Theatre School at DePaul University and Boston University, graduating with a degree in music in 2006. Davis appeared alongside teen actress Hilary Duff in Raise Your Voice. She has also appeared in Veronica Mars, That's So Raven, The O.C., Gilmore Girls, Point Pleasant, Pushing Daisies, and Hidden Palms. In July 2007, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Davis would be joining the second season of the TV series Heroes, as Monica Dawson, who was described as a "young hero" willing to "give up everything to help the people around her". The character is the niece of D.L. Hawkins and first cousin of Micah Sanders. She has the power of muscle mimicry, meaning she can master instantly any physical skill she witnesses. Davis played the role of Peyton in the hit film Coach Carter (2005) alongside Ashanti. She also starred as Lisa Hines in Prom Night (2008). Davis played Chastity Church in the ABC Family series 10 Things I Hate About You (Gabrielle Union played the character in the film) appearing in all 20 episodes. According to series creator Carter Covington, Davis asked out of her contract after the 20 episodes to explore new career opportunities, so Chastity was written out as transferring to a new school; the show was cancelled shortly after the episode aired. In 2013, she appeared in the Christmas comedy-drama film A Madea Christmas by Tyler Perry. In February 2014, she was cast as one of the lead characters in the ABC legal thriller How to Get Away with Murder, produced by Shonda Rhimes. The series stars Viola Davis as a law professor Annalise Keating. Davis plays the role of Michaela Pratt, one of the five lead students, alongside Jack Falahee, Alfred Enoch, Matt McGorry, and Karla Souza. The series premiered on September 25, 2014 with generally positive reviews from critics and 14 million viewers. Davis received her first NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance in series. Books Davis is the author of Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now, a contemporary young adult novel published by Harlequin Books in April 2018. Her second novel, The Voice In My Head '', is scheduled for release by Harper Collins on May 28, 2019. She uses "Dana L. Davis" as her pen name, while retaining "Dana Davis" for her acting roles. Personal Life In 2000, she married NBA player Paul Pierce, her high school sweetheart. Their daughter, Janaiya Tianna Pierce, was born on January 15, 2003. In 2004, Davis filed for divorce from Pierce due to career demands. Davis later released a joint statement explaining her decision, describing it as a "respectful, amicable parting of ways". Court documents obtained a few days later indicated that they had been legally separated for nearly six months prior to the filing. The divorce was finalized in June 2004. Davis said, "He handled our divorce and our subsequent transition into a separated family with grace and dignity and respect. He always put Janaiya first and didn't involve her. I'm lucky that we can just put our differences to the side and always put our child first. He pretty awesome, I'm lucky." Filmography '''Music videos' References External links * Dana Davis on Twitter * Dana Davis at the Internet Movie Database D